‘We don’t want power, we want lights’: Madagascar awaits post-Rajoelina era

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Antananarivo, Madagascar – On a emblematic Sunday greeting successful Mahamasina, a suburb of Madagascar’s superior Antananarivo, Sarobidy Ramarimanana joined the queue astatine her neighbourhood h2o constituent conscionable aft sunrise.

“I conscionable wanted to capable my jerrycan and spell to church,” she told Al Jazeera. “I was astir to gully h2o erstwhile radical started running; jerrycans everywhere.” The dependable of constabulary sirens had sparked panic, interrupting the calm of the neighbourhood arsenic radical fled.

‘It’s astir survival’

Jose Raharimino is not a regular protester, nor does helium spot himself arsenic political. But erstwhile the powerfulness chopped retired astatine his flat connected Sunday morning, he decided to marque his mode to Independence Square.

“I conscionable wanted to papers what’s happening,” the 31-year-old freelance lensman told Al Jazeera, a camera slung implicit his enarthrosis and a jerrycan astatine his feet.

“At first, I thought I’d enactment connected the sidelines – conscionable watch, possibly instrumentality a fewer photos.”

On Saturday, an elite service portion erstwhile allied to the president, CAPSAT, defected and declared it would articulation forces with the protesters against the government.

As a result, the ambiance felt astir hopeful aboriginal connected Sunday – chants rising, radical laughing nervously, the odor of fried “mofo gasy”, Malagasy section donut, from a adjacent stall.

“We weren’t aggravated yet. We were desperate, but it felt similar we were unneurotic successful that desperation,” Raharimino said.

As the prima climbed higher, helium began livestreaming connected his phone. “I wanted radical overseas to spot this – that we’re not violent, conscionable tired.” Around him, the assemblage swelled: vendors, students, bureau clerks, mothers balancing babies and jerrycans.

“This isn’t political,” helium told idiosyncratic beside him. “It’s astir survival.”

But anticipation turned brittle erstwhile the archetypal canister landed. The hiss of teardrop state chopped done the chants. “At first, radical didn’t move,” Raharimino said. “Then different 1 fell – and another.”

He watched arsenic fume dispersed done the crowd, stinging his eyes, his camera shaking successful his hands. He backed away, coughing, but refused to halt filming. “You could perceive radical screaming – not from pain, but from anger,” helium said. “Someone adjacent maine yelled, ‘Why are you shooting astatine us? We lone came for water!’”

Moments later, the constabulary enactment advanced. Protesters scattered done broadside streets, clutching jerrycans, hiding down walls. Raharimino ducked down a kiosk, helping a young antheral rinse his look with bottled water.

“It felt similar 2009 each implicit again,” helium said quietly, recalling the weeks of antigovernment protests that yet led to Rajoelina taking powerfulness from democratically elected then-President Marc Ravalomanana done a subject coup.

Sixteen years later, the subject and authorities were successful different standoff – with CAPSAT, which erstwhile helped Rajoelina instrumentality power, present helping spot him retired arsenic its members squared disconnected against forces loyal to the president.

Among the hundreds of radical astatine the march connected Sunday, immoderate had been retired successful the streets for weeks, portion others were recently emboldened by CAPSAT’s announcement.

Rajoelina, however, called the army’s determination an amerciable coup effort and fled to an chartless location. By Tuesday, parliament voted to impeach him for desertion of duty.

Meanwhile, the subject has present taken power, forming a transitional committee with the committedness to rapidly reconstruct civilian regularisation successful Madagascar.

‘We request a caller system’

The accelerated changes came with celebrations successful the streets, and pictures of soldiers agreed with mean citizens successful the anticipation of gathering a amended country.

But conscionable beneath the aboveground optimism, galore are inactive worried.

“I can’t conscionable ticker things enactment the aforesaid immoderate more. We’ve been stuck with the aforesaid problems for excessively agelong – corruption, poverty, nary jobs, and nary existent change,” Henintsoa Andriniaina, 24, told Al Jazeera successful Independence Square.

The entrepreneur from Isotry sells hand-painted tote bags online. His concern depends connected energy – thing helium present calls “a luxury.”

“When there’s nary power, I can’t print, I can’t sew, I can’t adjacent complaint my telephone to station caller designs. And erstwhile there’s nary water, I can’t adjacent lavation my brushes,” helium said.

“We’re not lazy younker shouting slogans. We’re radical trying to live.”

He joined Sunday’s protestation with a motion speechmaking “Miala Rajoelina! Mila rafitra vaovao! Tsimbazaza miray!” – which means “Rajoelina out! We request a caller system. Tsimbazaza united.”

“When I wrote that, I wasn’t conscionable asking 1 idiosyncratic to measurement down – I was speaking for everyone who’s bushed of this cycle,” helium said. “‘Mila rafitra vaovao’ means we request to rebuild from the crushed up: caller structures, fairer leadership, and a strategy that genuinely serves the people. ‘Tsimbazaza miray’ represents unity – the youth, the workers, the vendors – everyone lasting unneurotic for change.

“I’m not present for unit oregon revenge. I’m present due to the fact that I judge Madagascar tin bash amended if we situation to alteration the operation itself, not conscionable the faces successful power.”

Andriniaina thinks structural betterment and accountability are essential. “We request leaders who serve, not steal,” helium said. “Change means gathering systems that outlast radical – transparent budgets, just opportunities, and powerfulness that belongs to citizens, not to offices.”

‘Uncertain’ future

In the mediate of Sunday’s constabulary clampdown, Raharimino captured what helium could connected camera earlier constabulary seized his phone.

The quadrate had turned into a haze of smoke, sirens, and chaos by aboriginal afternoon, which reminded him of the 2009 protests. “I was a teen then. I retrieve the fear,” helium said.

Hours later, helium made it location with reddish eyes and shaking hands. “This isn’t astir politics,” helium repeated. “It’s astir the close to unrecorded with dignity. The close to aftermath up and cognize the lights volition crook on.”

Raharimino believes that information and visibility are captious for change. “If we can’t speak, record, oregon amusement what’s happening, thing volition change,” helium said. “Change begins erstwhile information tin travel arsenic freely arsenic h2o – without fear, without silence.”

In the shadiness of a closed market stall successful the superior sat Bako, a 56-year-old thoroughfare cleaner who lone goes by 1 name.

She was not portion of the march, but watched from a region arsenic the fume from burning tyres drifted crossed the skyline of Antananarivo.

“I’ve seen this before,” she said softly, her dependable breaking. “In 2009, we shouted, too. My hubby went to the protests. He ne'er came back.”

Her eyes filled with tears arsenic she pointed successful the absorption of the stadium. “Now, it’s the children of those who shouted before. And they’re crying again.”

Bako wiped her cheeks with the backmost of her hand. “I don’t blasted them. I outcry for them. Because they privation what I wanted excessively – conscionable a small dignity.”

As the time faded, the echoes of gunfire mixed with chants and the hum of generators sputtering to beingness successful the distance. By nightfall, dozens had been arrested. Rumours swirled crossed the superior – of resignations, of tanks adjacent the palace.

By Monday morning, it was confirmed: President Rajoelina had resigned. The subject had taken over. Some called it liberation. Others, a unsafe replay of history.

“What happens adjacent is uncertain,” Luke Freeman, Madagascar adept astatine University College London, told Al Jazeera.

“As acold arsenic the Gen Z protesters, who’ve acceptable this shot rolling, it mightiness good beryllium that their egalitarian operation present plays against them because, successful bid to person governmental penetration, to get a spot astatine those discussions for mounting retired the roadmap for Madagascar’s future, they’re astir apt going to request to name leaders and spokespeople,” helium said.

“They’re going from societal quality rights protests into the murky and soiled satellite of governmental negotiations. And for that, you request to beryllium portion of a coalition, and that’s wherever they’re going to person to combat for their close to inactive beryllium portion of this process.”

For young radical successful the streets, a amended state with functional h2o and energy services is “our right, not a plea”, Ramarimanana said.

Whether the military’s takeover volition bring affirmative alteration remains to beryllium seen. But for Ramarimanana, it was neither a afloat triumph nor relief, arsenic it has not yet brought dignity.

“We can’t imagination of ideology if we can’t portion cleanable water. Change starts erstwhile each location has what it needs – not promises, but pipes that enactment and lights that enactment on,” she said.

On the streets of Antananarivo, littered with the symbols of some defiance and despair, Ramarimanana looked down astatine her scuffed yellowish jerrycan, inactive bare and waiting to beryllium filled.

“We didn’t privation power. We wanted water. We wanted light,” she said quietly. “Maybe now, they’ll listen. Or possibly … they’ll conscionable hide america again.”